Construction Begins on Vandalized Golf Course

Construction began on a certified golf green after vandals drove a disk plow through it and caused $25,000 worth of damage.

On Sunday, nine construction workers were digging up and replacing damaged sod, getting hole four at Germantown Country Club ready for the arrival of sprigs – or seedlings – on Tuesday. Hole four recently received U.S. Golf Association certification, according to G.C.C. officials.

Damage that was done in less than a minute will take weeks to fully repair.

“We got another eight weeks to grow this in just to get it grown in and another full season because we’re about out of growing season this year. So for full maturity it will be another year before it’s back to where it was,” says Doug Estes, G.C.C. Golf Course Superintendent. “Whoever did this, they have no comprehension of how long it takes.”

It was just a year ago when G.C.C. reconstructed their entire course.

“We redid all of our greens last year, last summer. We had the U.S. Open qualifier in June so we had just finished the qualifier, which we had nine people come out of this site toward the U.S. Open that was held in San Francisco,” says G.C.C. Head Golf Pro Keith Penke.

The golf course superintendent says they built a temporary hole while hole four is being worked on.

Penke says their goal is to have the green on hole four repaired by Sept. 6 in time for their biggest tournament of the year, the Member-Guest Fall Classic.

On Wednesday, Germantown police say an unknown person drove a Case International tractor with a large disk plow three-quarters of a mile from a construction site on Wolf River and Kimbrough to the golf course and dug up circles. Police say the tractor was unlocked and the key was left under the driver side seat.